The primary objective of the EPA's ancsa cooperative agreement grants program is to provide financial support to assist the alaska tribal entities with addressing contamination on lands conveyed…

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 10 awarded Kawerak, Inc. a $452,283 Cooperative Agreement under the Contaminated Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) Lands Assistance Agreements program (CFDA 66.965) effective April 1, 2025, through December 31, 2026. Kawerak, Inc., a tribal consortium representing 20 federally recognized tribes in western Alaska, will serve as the grant recipient and project lead for environmental remediation activities at the Old Shoreline Tar Barrels site in Shishmaref, Alaska.

Under this agreement, Kawerak, Inc. will deliver comprehensive environmental assessment and remediation services, including preparation of a Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP), environmental documentation, Health and Safety Plans (HASPs), and final remediation plans in coordination with contractors. The recipient will execute debris and subsurface barrel removal, conduct soil sampling, and ensure proper disposal of recovered hazardous materials and waste in compliance with applicable federal, state, and local regulations. Additionally, Kawerak, Inc. will conduct community engagement activities through public notices, meeting materials, presentations, and informational materials, establish contractor procurement processes via Request for Proposal (RFP), and submit schedule performance reports and a final report to EPA upon project completion. No sub-awards are included in this assistance agreement.

The primary objective of the EPA's ancsa cooperative agreement grants program is to provide financial support to assist the alaska tribal entities with addressing contamination on lands conveyed pursuant to the alaska native claims settlement act (ancsa) (43 U.S.C. 1601 ET SEQ.). The funds are available to eligible tribal applicant to characterize, assess, and conduct planning and community involvement activities related to these lands; and to carry out cleanup activities at ancsa contaminated sites. Kawerak, INC. Will assemble a project management team ensuring compliance with all environmental regulatory and for the safety of field operations to adequately address associated hazardous material (hazmat), safety, and human health requirements. The goal, and final outcome, is to clean up the old shoreline TAR barrels site located in shishmaref of contamination and hazards.activities:the grant recipient kawerak, INC. Will prepare and publish notices, prepare meeting materials and presentations, and prepare and distribute other public information materials. Kawerak INC. Will work with contractor(s) to create a quality assurance project plan (qapp), environmental documents, health, and safety plans (hasps) and final remediation plans. To clean up the contaminants, kawerak, INC. Will create an RFP for contractor procurement, and conduct debris and subsurface barrel removal and soils sample collection of the shishmaref old shoreline TAR barrel site to ensure the recovered hazardous materials and associated waste products are disposed of in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations. Schedule performance reports including a final report are to be prepared by kawerak, INC. And provided to the EPA.subrecipient:no subawards are included in this assistance agreement.outcomes:grant funding will allow kawerak, INC. To complete the remediation and cleanup of the contamination and to address associated hazardous material (hazmat), safety, and human health requirements; allowing the safety reuse of the property. Direct beneficiaries of this grant are members of the tribe, local community residents and shareholders of the alaska native village and regional corporations.